Tyson Chandler turns down offer from Chinese club Zhejiang Guangsha Lions: NBA News
Dallas Mavericks centre Tyson Chandler, who is a free agent, has decided not to sign a lucrative contract with the Chinese basketball club Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.
Ever since the NBA lockout entered a phase where losing the entire season started to become more of a reality, Guangsha’s surge to land Chandler for the whole season also became stronger. The Chinese franchise reportedly offered
various options to lure Chandler, who was also interested in signing with the team where he can continue playing basketball until NBA gets back to business.
However, the fear of not being able to re-sign with Dallas Mavericks hampered him from taking his talents to the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.
"I was considering it but I don't think I'm going to do it. It was hard to turn down." Chandler said.
According to the new rules implemented by the Chinese Basketball Association, a team can sign a free-agent of NBA however the out-clause option cannot be offered. This means that if Chandler had agreed to play with Zhejiang Guangsha,
he would not be able to return until the end of the Chinese season in March.
The situation gets more complicated in the case of Chandler, because the Mavericks have six of their players in the free agency, including the likes of Caron Butler, Jose Juan Brea and DeShawn Stevenson. The Mavs have shown their
interest in re-signing Chandler, but if he is no longer an option, they would certainly like to invest their money on the rest of the free agents.
The new CBA is also expected to hamper the Mavs from re-signing all the six players again. While talking with ESPN, Tyson Chandler discussed his fears that the new CBA might prohibit him from re-singing with Dallas Mavericks.
"With the collective bargaining agreement and some of the things that they're trying to enforce, it would basically prohibit me from coming back. It would take it out of my hands -- and the organizations -- because it would almost
be pretty much impossible for me to re-sign. I just think that can be the worst thing that can happen."
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